Waiting for the Hero
by Patricia de Lioncourt
Summary: Morgana Macawber does not get stood up. Does she?


A/N- So, I was at deviantart, and I came across a Fancharacter Music Meme. I was intrigued. However, I can't draw. Instead, I decided I was going to do a drabble fanfiction version of it. As I was thinking up rules to that, the idea for this drabble hit me. This drabble was inspired by the version of "Holdin' Out for a Hero" that appeared on the Shrek 2 soundtrack. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer- I don't own Darkwing Duck. All related items belong to Disney. I also don't own "Holdin' Out for a Hero." This version, as sung by Jennifer Saunders, belongs to Dreamworks Records, and originally to Bonnie Tyler.

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**Waiting for the Hero**

Morgana Macawber did _not_ get stood up. It just did not happen. Darkwing _would_ be here. Morgana knew that. Darkwing valued his feathered tail end too much for it to be otherwise. That, and she knew her Dark Darling's ego. Darkwing Duck had been the midnight protector of the city of St. Canard for years now. He would not pass up his first invitation as the Guest of Honor to the Policeman's Ball.

Morgana fidgeted in her flowing black gown—accented with silver swirls on the sheer overlay to the dress. She watched as the various wives, fiancées, and girlfriends of the policemen of St. Canard passed by her in vibrant Spring colors of yellow, Easter Basket Grass green, and pale pink. They gandered at her sheer, quarter-length sleeves decorated with silver designs of spider webs. Some of the younger women even hissed at her that Halloween was not for another six months. If Darkwing were not counting on her to be on her best behavior, Morgana would have hexed the haughty girl to Kingdom Come. As it were, she just pretended that she had not heard them. Wherever he was, anyway.

All her life, Morgana knew that she was not what most considered "normal." She knew that her father had made it very clear to her at an early age that the Normals in the Normal Village were off-limits and absolutely nothing to worry about. She had never, ever felt out of place—even when she had snuck into the Normal Village to observe their strange ways. Tonight, however, she felt as if she were from another planet.

"Hey, Morg! Where's DW?" Launchpad McQuack called to her, walking over.

Morgana smiled genuinely to see a familiar face.

"He called me as I was leaving my house. He said that he was going to be a little late. He had a case he had to wrap up, it seems," she answered.

Launchpad chuckled. "Yup. Sounds like DW."

Morg arched an eyebrow as she caught sight of a shy-looking, red-haired girl staring at Launchpad so hard it was like she was trying to bore holes into his brain. The girl saw her, blushed, and turned her face away. Morgana understood.

"Um, Launchpad, I think you have someone wanting to fill your dance card," she pointed out, gesturing to the girl.

"Huh?" he asked, turning round. "Oh. That's Jessica. She's the Police Chief's younger sister. I met her over at the buffet table."

It was Morg's turn to laugh. "Well, it seems you made an impression on her. Why don't you ask her to dance?"

"Well, that's not a bad idea. I guess I didn't take those waltzing lessons for nothing. But, what about you?"

"I'll be fine. Go on. Dark will be here soon, I'm sure," she said, but Launchpad was already hurrying toward Jessica.

Morgana sighed and chanced a glance at the clock on the wall above her. Eight o'clock. The ball had been going on for an hour now. Darkwing was nowhere in sight. She sighed once more and turned her eyes to the dance floor. Many colorful couples swirled by, moving in time with the orchestra-vocal combination of music chosen for this evening. The previous song ended just then, and the crowd—dancers and all—clapped. The vocalist—a pretty, blonde, young woman in a short white dress—bowed along with most the musicians.

"Thank you," the girl spoke into the microphone in front of her. "For our next selection, here's a different take on an old favorite."

At that, she instructed her players to put the song in C minor. The music played along for a second before she allowed her voice to join the tune.

"_Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods? Where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night, I toss and I turn, and I dream of what I need_…" she slowly sang to the crowd as the dancers began to move again.

Suddenly, a small choir was illuminated off to the upper left-hand side of the singer, and the song picked up speed.

"_I need a hero! I'm holdin' out for a hero, till the end of the night…_" the blonde belted into the microphone.

_Tell me about it_, Morgana thought, glancing at the clock again. As the chorus of the song continued, a memory arose in Morg's thoughts. A memory of one night, in her late teenage years, when she had snuck to the Normal school. The school was hosting a dance for its students that night. Thinking back, Morgana could clearly remember hearing this song blaring from within as one of the Normal boys invited her inside.

"…_And he's gotta be larger than life…larger than life_," the singer completed the chorus.

Morgana, without thinking, began to sway with the music, recalling the lyrics. She remembered how the song had moved her then, as the Normal boy taught her dance as the Normals do. Of course, she had never been permitted to sing, let alone listen, to the song ever again. Her father detested all things Normal. However, she had always loved this song. And this new, ballroom version was enchanting and powerful.

"Morg! Morgana!" called a voice through the crowd, breaking her thoughts.

She turned to see Darkwing—in full costume by request of the Police Chief—huffing and puffing his way to her. Once he had reached her, he gathered a breath and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"So…sorry," he forced out between breaths. "Bushroot…mutant forget-me-nots…bad…taken care…of, though. Sorry…I'm late."

Morg smiled. "I'm just glad you still came. And just in time. I remember this song from when I was younger. This is a different version of it though."

"Really? I thought you had never listened to Normal music before?"

"Do you think my villainous ways sprouted from nowhere? I snuck out."

"Please…Please…don't use 'sprout,'" Darkwing begged.

Morgana laughed. Darkwing smiled and took her hand.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You said that this was your favorite song. I'm late. I'm apologizing like this: Let's dance."

"But…you're tired."

"So, I don't want you not to have fun. Besides, what do you think I've been waiting all night to do? Accept my award?"

Morg cocked an eyebrow. Darkwing shrugged.

"Well…yes, but besides that…I've wanted to dance with you. Now come on!"

And with a single twirl, the couple was out on the dance floor, drawing the attention of the onlookers. And Morgana could not help but smile when she caught the sour looks of those who had made fun of her earlier. Obviously, they had not known who she was with.

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End Notes: So, what did we think of that? This is just a sample of what I'll be doing here soon with five other songs. I'll post the rules to the "challenge" there. Please review!


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